| M Smith |
02 October 2004 |
Stayed at Borann L'Auberge Des Temples - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Angkor Wat and the associated temples is a must see.This was our main target in Siem Reap and took up most of our 3 day trip.We paid $20 per day for a guide and $13 per day for a tuk tuk driver, both organized by the hotel.The Red Piano was worth a visit and the Angkor What bar.We tried several Thai restaurants and had no bad experiences apart from maybe some table clean up issues.Try the traditional Kmer massage also which was $10 for 2 hours,very relaxing after a day at the temples.
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| J Neeley |
28 September 2004 |
Stayed at Raffles Hotel Le Royal - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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I wouldn't recommend that you do a lot of walking in Phnom Penh. Not due to safety issues, but rather the pollution and dust. Taxis are cheap and we never had a driver that didn't speak at least a little English.
Be sure to visit the Royal Palace and if you like markets, the Russian Market is a must.
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| S Alias |
26 September 2004 |
Stayed at Mysteres d' Angkor - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Angkor is great, but if you have no time, make sure you go the outer circuit jungle temples apart from seeing Angkor Wat in the sunset and sunrise, as well as the Bayon and Banteay Srei temples. Great food in the Blue Pumpkin and Khmer Kitchen, and also at the FCC. It's nice to visit the small temple in the royal Garden, and rinse your head with blessed water, very refreshing and spiritual.
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| J Avery |
24 September 2004 |
Stayed at Raffles Hotel Le Royal - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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GoldFish restaurant has excellent Khmer food on the river.
The Palace was well worth seeing though the national gallery was very average with little information on the exhibits and little information in English. This is unfortuante as many of the best pieces of Angkor are here.
Tuk Tuk and Moto is best for getting around and hiring a car/Moto for trips to the Killing Fields and S-21 is best and saves the hassle of continously haggling fees.
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| C Mcneur |
23 September 2004 |
Stayed at Inter-Continental Phnom Penh - Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
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Certainly the most interesting and horrifying part of a visit to Phnom Penh is a visit to the notorious Killing Fields and the related downtown museum. Unlike many other memorials around the world the Killing Fields still seem to be present day and very visible. In fact so visible that any visitor can view the bits or bone, teeth or clothing protruding from the soil and footpaths at this site. The horror of the Khmer Rouge atrocities is not only available for viewing here but at the downtown location of a former school where many innocent Cambodian and foreign victims were tortured and murdered. The torture rooms as well as the machines for brutality are exhibited along with many very heart wrenching portraits of the former prisoners.
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| L Ramirez |
11 September 2004 |
Stayed at Princess Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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TukTuk is a cheap way to get around Cambodia. A travel around the whole town only costs $6. They can take you to the temples also.
Don't miss out on a dinner and cultural show. I forgot the name of the restaurant but it was close to the hotel. They had a buffet which was excellent and the cultural show was fascinating as well.
When shopping, always bargain. Try to bring the price down to half and usually the sellers will sell them to you. I bought an Angkor book for $5 eventhough it was listed for $24. I bought it at the street vendors next to the temple. When I tried buying it inside the hotel, the lowest they would sell me was at $10. It is always cheaper to buy at the market or street vendors.
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| C Usher-clark |
29 August 2004 |
Stayed at Borei Angkor Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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Tourism in Siem Reap is growing exponentially with new large hotels being built in multiple locations. Go now before the town is enveloped! A 3 day pass to the temples was about right. We paid $6 for a tuk tuk at our disposal on the first day and $20 for a guide/$20 for a car on the second. A good guide brings the temples to life and is well worth the extra cost as it stopped us getting "temple syndrome" which so many talk about. See Angkor Wat at sunrise - 5.30a.m. Costs more to get to Banteay Srei as it is farther out hence more petrol. Went to the Kulen restaurant for an Apsara dance show - $12 per person with unlimited food buffet (excl. drinks) and well worth the money. By comparison we costed the Angkor Village/Apsara Theatre show at $22 per person! FCC good for lunch but more expensive - Red Piano does a good Cambodian curry; Khymer Kitchen was amazing and very cheap - worth hunting down that side alley for. The Blue Pumpkin inside the Artisans D'Angkor/Angkor Cafe is exceptional and very good value (cheaper than the other more "local" looking restaurants surrounding it!). Would recommend rainy season - so much quieter with about one sixth the number of tourists and it rained no more than an hour a day about 4pm so didn't distrupt our days at all.
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| A Morrell |
19 August 2004 |
Stayed at Passaggio Boutique Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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The temples are more than impressive, and Angkor is much more than 'just a group of temples'. The variety in design, condition and setting means you should allow 3 days to take it all in comfortably. I was greatly impressed with the jungle that surrounds many of the temples, especially the huge teak trees. Our kids (ages 8 and 9) weren't bored either.
But if you're anything like us, you'll be looking for ways to avoid being caught in amongst the hordes descending from tour buses. With a bit of planning and a willingness to forego some of the 'standard' photo shots, you can end up having quality time at most places with only a few people around you (in low and shoulder season at least). For example, we arrived at Angkor Wat at 7:30am - the big tour groups hit it from 6 - 7am, We had the fantastic experience of having the temple pretty much to ourselves. The light for pictures may not have been as good, but I still got some great shots and what a wonderful experience. Also, don't let tropical downpours put you off. We toured Preah Kahn in the midst of a storm and our kids felt like they were in an Indiana Jones movie!
Lots of food choices. We found the Khmer food at the Borey Sovann great value and very friendly. Everything's in USD so you need plenty of that. The 3 day pass at US40 is good value (kids under 12 are free) but a pity the money primarily goes to an oil company rather than the upkeep of these magnificent structures. But the biggest sting in Siem Reap is the 'passenger service charge' at the airport - an obscene USD 25! A French company operates the airport and is intent on milking it for all they can get. Again, if this was going to the many needy Cambodians I wouldn't mind...
Overall, a great place to visit. Our 4 days there felt about right.
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| W Goh |
10 August 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Century Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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We paid for a 3-day pass but were templed-out by the end of the second day. I would recommend visitors to go to the furthest temples on their first day(Bantaey Srei for example) and slowly build their staminas for the grand finale - Angkor Wat. In my opinion, Angkor Wat's the only monument that withstood the test of time and the forces of nature and is the most complete one out of the lot. Having said that, the rest of the temples are also magnificent and well worth a visit.
If you are going to the smaller sites, steer clear of the stalls - the children will start following you until you bow to their requests to buy either t-shirts, postcards or film! Beware of their tactics too - they will first start a friendly conversation, then press a little souvenir or flower in your hands and when you're just about to leave, they will insist that you buy something from them because you have "accepted" their "gifts"! For dining, FCC's a must. The food is inexpensive and very good! The old market is also a good hunting ground for souvenirs and such. Check out Asasax Art Gallery - he is a noted Cambodian artist and his oil on canvas paintings truly exemplify Cambodian life and culture. We've given one of his paintings a home in Singapore!
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| K Stiern |
10 August 2004 |
Stayed at Angkor Village Hotel - Siem Reap, Cambodia.
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You have many good and cheaper restaurants in town where you can easily walk to from the hotel. Our favourite restaurant was the "Soup Dragon". There you can peacefully sit upstairs without being harassed by begging children and enjoy a delicious meal at a good price.
I can recommend our motor-cycle driver for the temple tours Mr. NAT who stands in front of the Angkor Village Resort and who speaks a good English.
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Traveller's Tales: Places to go and see in Cambodia
